Lane County Pertussis Alert + Illegal Pot Grows Threaten Rare Fisher

Podcast Episode Summary

Jefferson Exchange — July 20, 2012, HOUR 1

Pertussis Rebound

It is supposed to be a disease only our grandparents got, but pertussis is nothing if not persistent. The disease we once called "whooping cough" is rebounding in many corners of the country, and Lane County health officials are especially concerned. They held a town hall meeting last week to publicize the rise in pertussis cases and the role vaccination rates play in that rise.

Fisher+Poison=Death

Efforts to keep a rare woodland creature from going extinct are being hindered by the use of rat poison in the woods, usually on illegal marijuana plantations. That's the finding of a recent report from a University of California-Davis researcher and others. The report says the pesticides used at the pot farms are killing the fisher, a member of the weasel family. You'll hear from the report's lead author.